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Person: Daniel McConnell

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>Daniel McConnell chats to Leo Varadkar in 2022, but relations were not always cordial. Picture: Dan Linehan</p>

S columnists

Daniel McConnell: A ringside seat at history in the making

During 17 years at Leinster House there have been angry exchanges, differences overcome, and battles recommenced

<p>Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe: 'I am a credible and committed centrist and I always have been, and always will be.' Picture: Moya Nolan</p>

comment-analysis

Paschal Donohoe reflects on 'really demanding' period of political career

Daniel McConnell

Daniel McConnell: Ryan’s response to Dublin Airport drone chaos has been disastrous

Daniel McConnell

SDaniel McConnell: Why must victims be forced to fight the State for justice?

Daniel McConnell

Daniel McConnell: Does Ireland really need up to 20 extra TDs?

Daniel McConnell

Daniel McConnell: Bertie comes back in from the cold

Daniel McConnell: As mass exodus looms, are Fine Gael’s best days behind it?

S Daniel McConnell: As mass exodus looms, are Fine Gael’s best days behind it?

Leo Varadkar has returned as Taoiseach, but his party is increasingly looking in rag order as defections ahead of any election continue to mount, writes Daniel McConnell

Sat, 28 Jan, 2023

Daniel McConnell: English departure is unlikely to be the last as tensions mount

S Daniel McConnell: English departure is unlikely to be the last as tensions mount

Increased tetchiness and bickering among Coalition parties over the potential spoils of war

Sat, 14 Jan, 2023

Healthcare in Ireland

S Daniel McConnell: Donnelly must get his docs in a row to justify staying as Health Minister

The truth is this country and its health service have been held to ransom for far too long by a small group that has refused to budge from its privileged position.

Sat, 07 Jan, 2023

Daniel McConnell: Popularity alone not enough for Sinn Féin to form a government

S Daniel McConnell: Popularity alone not enough for Sinn Féin to form a government

McDonald and Co need to show just where a viable and stable alternative coalition can be formed

Sat, 24 Dec, 2022

Daniel McConnell: Martin's commitment to the country will be his enduring legacy

Daniel McConnell: Martin's commitment to the country will be his enduring legacy

You could have scarcely believed it had you not been there. Sitting in the press gallery inside the thronged Dáil chamber, we watched as Micheál Martin brought the curtain down on his tenure as Taoiseach, the shortest of any in that office in history.

Sun, 18 Dec, 2022

Daniel McConnell: Can Varadkar find the right formula for success?

S Daniel McConnell: Can Varadkar find the right formula for success?

Late in 2017, then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar had just emerged from a committee room deep in the bowels of Leinster House. We said hello and began chatting about how he was getting on in the top job in Irish politics.

Sat, 17 Dec, 2022

Stephen Teap

Daniel McConnell: Varadkar needs to deliver change to a broken system

Fine Gael held its annual Christmas drinks for the media in Dublin on Wednesday night.

Sat, 10 Dec, 2022

Daniel McConnell: Snorefest reshuffle will attract plenty of criticism

Daniel McConnell: Snorefest reshuffle will attract plenty of criticism

Saturday, December 17, is set to be a long day, with Varadkar reportedly warning his colleagues proceedings in the Dáil could run as late as midnight before the new Cabinet is in place

Sat, 03 Dec, 2022

CC GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE

S Daniel McConnell: Ireland has paid the price for overloading our ministers

A mistake is often made about how the government in Ireland works. When we say the word government, it leads one to imagine this vast edifice of connected entities all pulling in the same direction in a coherent fashion. The truth is vastly different.

Sat, 26 Nov, 2022

British-Irish Council Summit

S Daniel McConnell: Martin may have to make Northern Ireland top priority

As Taoiseach, Micheál Martin has played the key role in seeking to 'reset' the Anglo-Irish relations so badly damaged by now-departed British prime ministers Boris Johnson and then Liz Truss

Sat, 19 Nov, 2022

Daniel McConnell: Ukrainian crisis deserves an open and honest conversation

Daniel McConnell: Ukrainian crisis deserves an open and honest conversation

In Leinster House, at the bottom of the main grand steps that lead to the entrance to the Dáil chamber are a set of couches.

Sat, 29 Oct, 2022

CC COMMITTEE MEETING

Daniel McConnell: Civil servants now prefer to operate with no oversight

The trojan horse of GDPR has been widely misused by government departments

Sat, 22 Oct, 2022

Liz Truss resignation

Daniel McConnell: Truss' resignation would be funny if it wasn't so serious

Relations with the Johnson government were the sourest any Irish Government had with the UK since the darkest days of the Troubles, much rests on who will replace Liz Truss after her dysfunctional reign.

Fri, 21 Oct, 2022

CC LEINSTER HOUSE

S Daniel McConnell: Bright future for 'Shinner in Fine Gael clothes'

It would happen like clockwork. Day after day, even during the lean days of the political off-season, in would arrive the email from the Sinn Féin press office, offering one of their TDs for media comment on the Leinster House plinth.

Sat, 15 Oct, 2022

MyEU50 Competition Launch

S Daniel McConnell: Foley eyes top job as she whips faithful into a frenzy

While some may baulk at the idea of her holding ambitions to lead, Foley is now a Cabinet minister of two and a half years’ standing and that fact alone puts her in the running

Sat, 08 Oct, 2022

Irish Budget 2023

S Daniel McConnell: Anger and compromise as Budget got thrashed out

Last Monday afternoon, photographer Moya Nolan and I were in the portrait room in the Department of Finance with ministers Michael McGrath and Paschal Donohoe.

Sat, 01 Oct, 2022

Daniel McConnell: Leo’s Cabinet call will disappoint more of his TDs than please them

Daniel McConnell: Leo’s Cabinet call will disappoint more of his TDs than please them

On December 15, Taoiseach Micheál Martin and his Cabinet will formally tender their resignations to make way for a new leader as Leo Varadkar will once again become leader of the country.

Sat, 24 Sep, 2022

CC BRENDAN GRACE FUNERAL

Daniel McConnell: Why Fianna Fáil are bringing Bertie back in from the cold

Mourners at the funeral of former Judge Fergus Flood in Sutton this week heard that he was a powerful advocate for justice and the rule of law.

Sat, 17 Sep, 2022

Vitamins

'Special' 9% hospitality Vat rate to be hiked in budget

Medical card to be extended to 500,000 more people by changing eligibility criteria

Thu, 15 Sep, 2022

Letters to the Editor: Dublin City Council needs to invest in cleaning

Letters to the Editor: Dublin City Council needs to invest in cleaning

Thank you so much Daniel McConnell for describing so accurately the filthy state of our capital city (‘My dear old Dublin is fast becoming a dirty old town’, Irish Examiner, August 6).

Fri, 12 Aug, 2022

ENVIRONMENT Litter 1

Michael Moynihan: Quit crowing about litter and let’s do something to tackle its scourge

The world is not constructed entirely for the benefit of one specific individual, writes Michael Moynihan

Thu, 11 Aug, 2022

Daniel McConnell: My dear old Dublin is fast becoming a dirty old town

Daniel McConnell: My dear old Dublin is fast becoming a dirty old town

I love Dublin. My home city. Apart from a stint in New Orleans, Louisiana, it has been my home for my entire life. I grew up in the suburb of Stillorgan before moving into the city where I have made my home for the past 18 years.

Sat, 06 Aug, 2022

Daniel McConnell: Halfway through their term, how have our ministers performed?

Daniel McConnell: Halfway through their term, how have our ministers performed?

With the summer break now here, it is time to run the rule over the individual performance of Cabinet ministers and separate the wheat from the chaff

Sat, 30 Jul, 2022

Daniel McConnell: Carbon footprint battle could see end-of-term upset in Dáil

Daniel McConnell: Carbon footprint battle could see end-of-term upset in Dáil

Rural woes will fester during the summer break

Sat, 16 Jul, 2022

Irish Government formation

Daniel McConnell: A farewell speech from master on last day of school for TDs

There was a sense of going through the motions for the last Leaders' Questions before the Dáil's summer recess, until the Ceann Comhairle gave a a sort of valedictory speech.

Thu, 14 Jul, 2022

Daniel McConnell: We are fast approaching this Government’s half-way stage

Daniel McConnell: We are fast approaching this Government’s half-way stage

The Government has held together remarkably well, but as problems in housing and health persist, there is little that Taoiseach Micheál Martin can point to as a legacy

Sat, 25 Jun, 2022

Remembering all of Cork's War of Independence fatalities, and the bitter Treaty debates

Remembering all of Cork's War of Independence fatalities, and the bitter Treaty debates

Cork recorded more violent deaths than Belfast or Dublin in the revolutionary period, more than a third of them civilians. Here, we examine the ongoing work to account for them all — and the Treaty debate that was dividing Ireland 100 years ago

Sun, 26 Dec, 2021

Budget 2022: Here's everything you need to know

Budget 2022: Here's everything you need to know

Paschal Donohoe said Budget 2022 'meets the twin goals of investing in our future while putting the public finances on a sustainable path'

Tue, 12 Oct, 2021

FILE PHOTO Responding to a report from the Garda Inspectorate, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said that the Garda Anti Corruptio

Mick Clifford: So many questions about the Limerick garda probe that a TD brands 'a witchhunt'

Among the puzzling aspects of the internal investigation is the treatment meted out to some gardaí — and it's anybody's guess why the probe hasn't been extended to other cities

Sun, 26 Sep, 2021

Brexit

Abandoning NI protocol would be a 'grave mistake' – Blair

Former British prime minister Tony Blair said any suggestion of the British government unilaterally setting aside the Brexit deal is unthinkable

Tue, 18 May, 2021

Tánaiste: €292k salary will 'no doubt' prompt demands from other civil servants

Tánaiste: €292k salary will 'no doubt' prompt demands from other civil servants

'Anytime there's a pay rise for anyone or any group of people that are knock-on demands'

Fri, 15 Jan, 2021

Barry Cowen: 'profoundly sorry' for drink-driving 'mistake'

Barry Cowen: 'profoundly sorry' for drink-driving 'mistake'

Agriculture Minister Barry Cowen has said that the criticism he received on the back of the revelation that he was fined for drink-driving four years ago was "fully deserved".

Tue, 07 Jul, 2020

Daniel McConnell: Coveney dismayed at UK’s approach to Brexit talks

Daniel McConnell: Coveney dismayed at UK’s approach to Brexit talks

Last Thursday in Brussels talks between the European Union and the United Kingdom on a proposed post-Brexit trade deal ended abruptly.

Mon, 06 Jul, 2020

Daniel McConnell: As Martin reaches promised land, the knives are out in Fianna Fáil

Daniel McConnell: As Martin reaches promised land, the knives are out in Fianna Fáil

"On several levels, it has been a week that has exposed many deep and worrying sores within the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party."

Fri, 03 Jul, 2020

Daniel McConnell: Six days into the Fianna Fáil ministerial row and recriminations are still flying

Daniel McConnell: Six days into the Fianna Fáil ministerial row and recriminations are still flying

Most Cabinet appointments and reshuffles bring a degree of unhappiness, disappointment, and resentment. But, Mr Martin’s choices to fill his Cabinet and junior ministerial ranks have truly turned into a messy quagmire which has overshadowed his rise to power.

Thu, 02 Jul, 2020

Daniel McConnell: 'Humble' TDs eschew ministerial office for the backbenches

Daniel McConnell: 'Humble' TDs eschew ministerial office for the backbenches

What is it about politicians these days in that they don’t want a promotion?

Wed, 01 Jul, 2020

Daniel McConnell: Coalition acts early to establish how it will deal with inevitable clashes

Daniel McConnell: Coalition acts early to establish how it will deal with inevitable clashes

On taking office in 2011, then Taoiseach Enda Kenny, his Tánaiste and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore had a frank heart to heart.

Tue, 30 Jun, 2020

Daniel McConnell: No time for new leader Martin to rest on his laurels

Daniel McConnell: No time for new leader Martin to rest on his laurels

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has defended his decision not to appoint Dara Calleary as a full Cabinet minister.

Mon, 29 Jun, 2020

Daniel McConnell: After 139 days we may have a government or lots more chaos

Daniel McConnell: After 139 days we may have a government or lots more chaos

It has only taken 139 days, but now it looks as if we will get a government.

Thu, 25 Jun, 2020

Daniel McConnell: The right to know how public money is spent

Daniel McConnell: The right to know how public money is spent

Do you want to know how your taxes are being spent? Well, tough. You can’t. At least, not in certain key areas where the State has decided you no longer have a right to know.

Sat, 20 Jun, 2020

Garda Colm Horkan 'gave his life protecting the community’

Garda Colm Horkan 'gave his life protecting the community’

The “beloved” Mayo man was gunned down on a quiet Roscommon street shortly before midnight on Wednesday – the third garda to be shot dead in the last seven years.

Fri, 19 Jun, 2020

Daniel McConnell: No gurriers or guttersnipes - the (long) list of banned Dáil insults

Daniel McConnell: No gurriers or guttersnipes - the (long) list of banned Dáil insults

Did you know that calling someone 'corrupt' in the Dáil is not allowed? Yet Paul Gogarty’s “F**k You, Deputy Stagg” outburst in 2009 broke no rules.

Tue, 16 Jun, 2020

Taxation, health, housing and climate the areas to be prioritised

Taxation, health, housing and climate the areas to be prioritised

Taxation, housing, health and climate have been given prominence in the new programme for government, amid a push to develop opportunities for change from the Covid19 pandemic.

Mon, 15 Jun, 2020

Daniel McConnell: Micheál Martin, tolerated but not loved, on course to become Taoiseach

Daniel McConnell: Micheál Martin, tolerated but not loved, on course to become Taoiseach

Micheál Martin, the eighth leader of Fianna Fáil, is finally on course to be elected Taoiseach.

Mon, 15 Jun, 2020